Wrench



UNITED STATE PA'ELENT OFFICE.

ALBERT McDOV-JELL, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS BRADLEY, OF .LOS. ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WRENCH.

Application filed Gctober 16, 1919.

' b all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, ALBERT MoDowELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVrenches, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to wrenches.

The object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed and efficient wrench, the head of which is so constructed as to facilitate the gripping of nuts or pipes of different sizes and in various locations.

Another object is to so construct a wrench that it may be readily operated with one hand.

Another object is to provide improved means for locking the jaws in adjusted position and means for preventing separation and loss of the aw carrying members.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with this invention with the jaws shown closed,

Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through the head of the wrench,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on the line 4l-1 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment illustrated, the wrench constituting this invention comprises two shanks 1 and 10 slidable in relation to each other, the shank 1 having a head at one end provided with angularly disposed jaws 2 and 3 with teeth 41 on their inner faces extending in the same direction. The other end of the shank 1 is provided along its inner side edge with a plurality of inclined teeth 5 designed to cooperate and interlock- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Serial No. 330,991.

ingly engage coiiperatin teeth 11 carried by he member 10.

The shank 1 is provided intermediately of its ends with a pair of lugs 6 which extend laterally beyond its inner edge and are connected at their free ends by a screw 7, said lugs and screw forming a keeper in which the member 10 slides, said member being slotted as shown at 18 for this purpose, the screw passing through said slot. It is ob vious from inspection of the drawings that slot 18 is of a width greater than the thickness of screw 7 to permit movement of member 10 away from member 1 a sufficient distance to release teeth 5 and 11.

The member 10 has a head 12 at one end composed of two angularly disposed jaws 18 and let, one of which is slotted edgewise to slidably receive the shank 1 of the other member as is shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2, the slot 16 through which said member 1 passes being flared downwardly on its outer edge as shown clearly in Fig. 2 to facilitate the disconnection of the teeth 5 and 11 when it is desired to move the jaws of one member relatively to those of the other. The jaws 13 and 14 are provided on their inner faces with teeth 15 which extend in the same (.irection with each other but in a direction opposite to those of the teeth 41 so as to reliably grip the pipe or nut between them. The pitch of jaws 3 and 14 is much greater than that of the jaws 2 and 13 011 the other side of the wrench head to facilitate the engagement of the wrench with nuts located in diflicult corners.

The member 10 is provided at its end opposite to that which carries the head 12 with a longitudinally extending opening 17 to form a hand grip.

In the use of this wrench, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 1, and it is desired to grip a nut or pipe, the handle or slotted end of member 10 is moved away from the cooperating end of the member 1 a sufficient distance to disengage the teeth 5 and 11 which is permitted owing to the flaring on the outer wall of the slot 16. The members may then be moved longitudinally relatively to each other a sufficient distance to permit the nut to be gripped either between the jaws 2 and 13 or those 3 and 14, according to the wishes of the operator.

After the object has been gripped, the handle members are moved toward each other until the ratchet teeth 5 and 11 again engage and thereby lock the jaws in engagement with theobject. 7

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and v of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A wrench of the class described comprising two shank members, each having a head at one end, one head being apertured to receive the shank of the other member, said aperture being flared on its outer edge to permit lateral movement of the shank slidable therein, said heads each having angularly disposed gripping jaws, those of one head cooperating with those of the other,

teeth carried by the opposed faces of saidjaws and inclined in opposite directions, said shanks having inclined teeth on their inner edges at their rear ends to interlockingly engage to hold the jaws in gripped relation, one of said shanks being longitudinally slotted intermediately of its ends, and the other having spaced lugs straddling the slotted shank, a removable screw connecting said lugs and mounted in the slot whereby the shanks are permitted to move longitudinally and are yet held against disconnection.

In testimony whereoi I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. ALBERT MoDOWELL.

Witnesses: 7

M. E. PHILLIPS, CHARLES GRoMAN. 

